Apple to use Intel's Sandy Bridge without Nvidia GPUs in new MacBooks

Future MacBooks set to arrive in 2011 will rely on Intel's forthcoming Sandy Bridge processor, which means Nvidia's graphics processors will not be included in at least some models 13 inches and under, according to a new report.

Citing anonymous sources, Cnet on Thursday said that MacBook models with screen sizes of 13 inches and under will switch to Sandy Bridge-only graphics. Apple's larger, higher-end MacBooks, with screen sizes of 15 and 17 inches, will allegedly rely on GPUs from AMD.

"Adoption of Sandy Bridge in popular small MacBook designs would constitute one of the strongest endorsements of Intel technology since Apple made the seminal transition from IBM-Motorola PowerPC chips to Intel back in 2005," the report said. "And a recognition that Intel's graphics technology, while maybe not the best, now offers the best price-performance for low-end MacBooks."

Starting in 2010 with its Arrandale processors, Intel began building in the major northbridge chipset memory controller components to its chips. The architectural changes in Arrandale, along with a lawsuit, forced Nvidia to halt the development of future chipsets.

For the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple relies on older Core 2 Duo processors because Nvidia is still capable of creating chipsets for use with those processors. But if Nvidia loses its legal battle with Intel, it would not be able to make chipsets for the current Core i series or the forthcoming Sandy Bridge line of processors.

Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight64, told Cnet he believes that Apple's lower-end MacBooks are "sitting ducks" for AMD's Fusion technology, which combines the company's central processors and graphics processors. In April, AppleInsider reported that Apple and AMD were in advanced discussions to potentially adopt AMD processors in at least some of its MacBook line.

Intel will formally unveil its Sandy Bridge processors at the Consumer Electronics Show on Jan. 5, 2011. The company's chief executive, Paul Otellini, has said that he is "more excited by Sandy Bridge" than any other product the company has launched in years.

Thank goodness, I much prefer ATI (AMD) graphics in my Macs. In my gaming PC it's NVidia all the way, so I am not a zealot. But on the Mac, the ATI cards run the OS X effects (Expose etc) far more smoothly. Given the latest Nvidia improvements due to Steam, I was hoping Nvidia would finally be as smooth, but no. There is something funny they are doing wrong, because they definitely have the power. As for Intel in-cpu graphics, I have no experience with this.

p.s. Intel are a *machine* in their incessant unending improvements. How screwed would we be if we had stuck with PowerPC?

Will Intels graphics at least match the 320m in present 13" MacBook's?

This will be severly disappointing if Apple down grades the GPU in the next update.

No, it might make it to match the 9400M. It probably won't support OpenCL either. This is a terrible terrible decision, I'd rather they dumped the optical drive and left enough space for discrete graphics.